AI cheated a woman of Rs 11 lakh by pretending to be a fake actor; Know how the script of high-tech fraud was hatched

Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has transformed various sectors, its abuse is also taking place at a high pace. Recently, a case from Argentina involved a woman who was misled by means of AI, cheating her of approximately Rs 11 lakh.

In this scam, cyber criminals imitated George Clooney's face and voice and produced a deepfake video. In the fake video, "Clooney" can be seen conversing with the woman. His smile, gestures, and reactions, such as blinking, all looked like actual ones, and the woman didn't find any reason to suspect.

It began with a false Facebook account, which was said to belong to George Clooney. The lady believed that it was his real account, and they started chatting. Over the next six weeks, they exchanged video calls and messages, done in advance by artificial intelligence technology. The lady was absolutely sure of having a connection to the real George Clooney.

Slowly, that fake 'Clooney' started building an emotional relationship. The woman was assured that the actor wanted to separate from his wife and needed emotional support. It was also said that his fan club card had failed, and he needed money urgently.

Taking the woman into confidence, she was also promised that she would be given a good job in return. Taking advantage of this trust and emotional attachment, cyber thugs extracted an amount of 10,000 pounds i.e. about 11.3 lakh rupees from the woman.

The videos and messages prepared by AI were so real that the woman did not even once suspect that she was being cheated. Earlier, a similar incident took place in France in the month of January, where a fake AI avatar of Brad Pitt was used to defraud Rs 7.9 crore.

Taking lessons from these cases, it is important to be very cautious while interacting with any unknown or celebrity profile on social media. Believing any video or message to be true without checking it can cause huge losses. Before making any financial transaction or sharing personal information, consult security agencies and immediately report suspicious activities to the cyber cell.